Who is Alexander the Great?‎ Alexander III of Macedon

Despite the short life of Alexander the Great, he was able to engrave his name among the greatest kings and princes who ruled throughout history. This king, who died at no more than 32 years old, is still a puzzling mystery.

It is no secret to many history lovers that there are more than 40 cities that bear the name Alexandria in the world, and perhaps the most famous of them is the “Bride of the Mediterranean” located in Egypt, which was built by Alexander the Great. So who is Alexander the Great? How was his life? Why is it still a mystery until now? We will figure this out together next.

 

Who is Alexander the Great?

Alexander the Great and Alexander III of Macedon are all titles held by the same person. He is one of the most famous Greek kings, if not the most famous of all. Alexander the Great is considered the greatest Greek conqueror, as the Greek state reached its maximum expansion in his era. His country also witnessed unity at his hands.

Alexander the Great upbringing and education

He was born in the Kingdom of Greece, “Macedonia,” on the twentieth of July, 356 BC. His father was King Philip II, and his mother was Queen Olympia. He had no siblings except a sister. He was cared for by his mother, and his relationship with his father was inconsistent. Well-established, he rarely saw his father, on the one hand, because he was busy with conquests, and on the other hand, his father was very fond of women, and he often left his family for long periods, which led to a confused relationship between him and his father.

From a young age, he received very important care that contributed to the formation of his military personality at the hands of one of his relatives, who was appointed by his father to take charge of his education, especially concerning horsemanship and archery.

Like any military leader, Alexander was characterized by rebellion, but his teacher gained his attention when he found him fond of the warrior. The legendary “Achilles” whose role was played by his teacher in order to attract his attention, and he succeeded.

Alexander the Great is considered one of the students of the famous philosopher Aristotle. He studied under Aristotle from the age of thirteen until he reached the age of sixteen and learned human knowledge from him.

His father rebuilt the birthplace of the philosopher Aristotle, ensured the liberation of its people and returned them to their homeland, and pardoned those who exiled them in exchange for teaching “Aristotle” to his son, whom Alexander the Great chose from among many scholars who were presented to him to choose a teacher from among them.

Alexander the Great received the principles of medicine and learned ethics, logic, and religion, as well as art, at the hands of his most famous teacher, “Aristotle.”

Alexander was greatly influenced by “Homer,” and the “Iliad” epic was one of the most influential works on Alexander’s soul. Aristotle presented it to him with its explanation, and Alexander kept this version and used it during his military campaigns.

Achievements of Alexander the Great

When he reached his sixteenth year, he assumed power in the absence of his father and his preoccupation with fighting Byzantium, which gave the Thracian Medes tribes an opportunity to revolt against the young boy, taking advantage of his lack of knowledge of political and military matters. But he showed harshness in responding to them, so he settled in their areas for the Greeks and established his first city, which he called “Alexandro Paulus,” meaning the city of Alexander.

When his father returned, he sent him to Thrace to eliminate the revolts that broke out against his father. It was said that he saved his father from death.

At a young age, he used strategic deception by deceiving the enemies that he wanted to withdraw to attack “Alyria” instead of “Amfissa,” which led to attracting his enemies towards Macedonia, so he turned them back in disappointment.

Then, campaigns continued in the year 338 BC with the help of his father and his army. They were able to conquer the city of “Elateia,” which is close to Athens. They were able to conquer “Amfissa,” which led to the Battle of Chaeronea, which history described as one of the most difficult battles fought by Alexander the Great and his father. Conquests continued until Alexander was able to unite the ranks of the Greek state, which made him think about invading the Persian Empire.

 

Alexander’s coronation to the throne of Macedonia

In the year 336 BC, while his father, Philip, was on his way to attend the wedding of his daughter – the sister of Alexander the Great – the commander of the bodyguard, Pausanias, was able to kill his father then he tried to escape, but Alexander’s companions pursued him and killed him immediately. Alexander took over the administration of Macedonia despite being twenty years old at most.

 

After Alexander assumed the leadership of Macedonia, some countries revolted against the son, so he equipped a large army. Despite the advisors’ advice on the necessity of adopting diplomatic solutions, he refused to comply with their advice and headed with his army. He was soon surprised by the Thessalians’ occupation of the crossing between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa, so Alexander issued His orders to climb Mount Ossa, then surprised the Thessalians and surrounded them. As soon as daylight came, they submitted to surrender. Then, they joined Alexander’s army, so he continued his march to the Morea Peninsula.

The conquests continued until he reached Corinth, where he met the philosopher “Diogenes” and was impressed by him. When Asking him if he had a request, Diogenes said:

“Step aside a little; you are blocking the sun from me.” The philosopher’s response dazzled him and made him say:

“Truly, I tell you, if I were not Alexander, I would like to be Diogenes.”

Alexander was able to gain great popularity, and after his father, he was appointed commander of the armies of Greece in its war with the Persian Empire.

In 334 BC, Alexander was able to cross the Dardanelles Strait with an army numbering 54,200, including infantry and knights, and a fleet of 120 ships, so the number of ship crews reached 38,000 individuals. He was able to deprive the Persians of many seaports that were extremely important to the Persians, and the conquests of Alexander the Great continued until he reached the Levant in the year 333 BC.

The conquests of Alexander the Great continued to include the Middle Eastern countries, and he reached the eastern gate of Egypt in the year 332 BC. Neither the Egyptians nor the Persians resisted him but rather received him as a victorious conqueror, and he established the city of Alexandria, which would later become the capital of the Ptolemaic state.

 

He then headed to Mesopotamia, which was the stronghold of the Persians. Shah Darius III confronted him with an army numbered 50 to 100 thousand, while Alexander’s army was 47 thousand soldiers. During the confrontation, the military genius of Alexander the Macedonian appeared, so he marched parallel to the starboard.

The army was accompanied by one of the best knights until the army turned to him, allowing him to penetrate the ranks of the army and enter the place of the banner of Shah Darius III, who was greatly frightened by the arrival of the Macedonians, so he fled, but Alexander continued to follow him. Still, he could not catch him.

He entered the capital of the Persians at that time, “Babylon,” as the victors, and he was a knight of moral character. He issued his orders not to allow soldiers to enter homes without asking permission and ordered them not to deprive their people of anything.

He continued to pursue Darius, whom Bessus betrayed and then killed. He could arrest Bessus after the ruler of Sogdia or Sogdiana had betrayed him in the year 329. He sentenced him to immediate death, and Alexander granted himself the title of Shahenshah, which means “King of Kings.”

He also ordered the implementation of Some of the customs that the Persians used in greeting, such as kissing the hand, and he even asked his entourage to prostrate. However, this order was rejected, as it was considered a special divine order, which made Alexander abandon it.

Where and how did Alexander the Great die?

Alexander the Great died in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace in Babylon on June 11, 323 BC, but the cause of death is still considered a mystery. Some of them said that he drank a lot of alcohol, then contracted a fever that caused him to lose the ability to speak, and then claimed his life.

They said that he died as a result of poisoning by the Macedonian aristocracy, and some of them said that Aristotle had participated in his murder. Some of them said that he died of malaria, and some of them said that he died of meningitis. Despite the many opinions on this matter, However, Alexander’s death to this day remains a mystery shrouded in mystery.

It was said that one of the fortune-tellers said that the country in which Alexander would be buried would live happily, and no one would be able to enter or invade it, which made the possession of Alexander’s body one of the demands that all his men wanted.

During the burial, Ptolemy diverted the burial route to Egypt, and then, After that, Ptolemy II transferred him to Alexandria. His tomb became a shrine for Roman leaders until 200 AD before the decision was taken to close the shrine, which remained forgotten until not a single confirmed piece of information about it has reached today.

Thus, Alexander’s empire was divided with his death, and the powers began fighting to gain power. In light of these divisions, Egypt’s share went to Ptolemy, who established the Ptolemaic state on the ruins of Alexander’s empire in Egypt.

 

How old was Alexander the Great when he died?

Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, but despite his early death, he remains one of history’s greatest conquerors. His remarkable achievements continue to speak volumes about his amazing legacy.